Folding tea cart



Dec. 13, 1966 .1. D. STELNICEANU 3,291,501

FOLDING TEA 'CART Filed Sept. ll, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 3a FIG. I

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FOLDING TEA CART Filed Sept. 11, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 //vvE/vToR I J D.Ste/m'ceanu ATTORNEYS United States Patent f FOLDING TEA CART JacquesDominique Stelniceanu, 6 Rue Beaurepaire, Paris, France Filed Sept. 11,1964, Ser. No. 395,853 Claims priority, application France, Sept. 18,1963, 947,914, Patent 1,383,814; Jan. 30, 1964, 962,124 9 Claims. (Cl.28ll36) Tea carts, which may be quite useful under certaincircumstances, have not been as frequently employed as might be, becausethey are bulky and inconvenient to store when not in use.

Folding tea carts have already been suggested, but have heretofore beentoo complex in structure and have presented an appearance substantiallydifferent from that of conventional tea carts.

The present invention relates to a folding tea cart which isparticularly simple in design and may be stored in a minimal space whennot in use.

The invention also relates to a folding table having two trays likethose of conventional tea carts, but without wheels, this table beingespecially designed for camp- It is an object of the present inventionto provide a new article of manufacture consisting of a folding table,particularly a tea cart, this table being especially characterized bythe fact that it comprises two trays connected to each other by twoarticulate-d frameworks, one of the trays being separable from one ofthe frameworks at the right of the corresponding pivot point. The tablefurther comprises means for adjusting at least two of the angles of thetrapezoid formed by the trays and the frame work when the table is setup, while the trays lie in almost the same plane when the table isfolded up.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the table is kept stable whenset up by holding the two angles formed between the frameworks and thelower tray in their widest position by means of a pair of stops.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new article ofmanufacture which consists of a folding table comprising two trays,essentially characterized by the fact that it comprises two rigidlyframed trays and four vertical uprights, each connected to the two traysby pivotal joints, the pivotal axes of which are perpendicular to aplane of symmetry of the table, preferably to the vertical planeparallel to the longer sides of the trays. These uprights and the sidesof the trays form a rectangle, or preferably a trapezoid, substantiallyparallel to the sides of the table. The lower tray forms the larger baseof the trapezoid and the two angles at the end of this base are providedwith pivot means limited to a maximum angle of opening by mechanicalstops. One end of the shorter of the two parallel sides of the trapezoidis provided with a separable pivotal joint, whereas its other end ismounted to turn through a complete revolution.

This latter table may also have one or more of the followingcharacteristics:

(1) The uprights are pivotally connected to the lower tray by anglemembers provided with two stops and at least one pivot hole, one of theholes being positioned at a level higher than that of the one at theother end of the same side so as to permit the two uprights to besuperposed when in folded position.

(2) The pivotal connections to the upper frame are made through membersfixed to this frame which are outwardly spaced from at least one side ofthe frame so as to permit a handle pivotally connected to the same frameto pass by into a folded up position.

(3) The carrying handle is locked in a perpendicular position withrespect to the upper tray when it is being 3,291,501 Patented Dec. 13,1966 carried by means of a trapezoidal opening in the bottom of thishandle which grips a trapezoidal projection on the upper tray.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood, severalembodiments thereof will now be described purely by way of example, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tea cart constituting a firstembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the tea cart shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows the tea cart of FIG. 1 in its folded position;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a third embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view on a large scale showing the portion VI ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-section on an enlarged scale taken along theline VII in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view on an enlarged scale showing thetwo pivotal joints on the lower tray;

FIG. 9 shows the table of FIG. 5 folded up; and

FIG. 10 shows on a larger scale, from the outside, the portion X of FIG.1.

FIG. 1 shows that the upper tray 1 is connected to the lower tray 2 bymeans of a tubular frame member 3 comprising a handle 3a, and by anotherframe member 4.

As best seen on FIG. 2, the frame members 3 and 4 are connected to thetrays 1 and 2 by pivot means 5, 6, 7 and 8.

In accordance with the invention the pivot means 5, 6 and 7 are not suchas to permit the frame members to be separated from the trays.

On the other hand, the pivot means 8 comprises a rod 9 fixed to theframe 3 which seats in two hooks 10 fixed to the bottom of the tray 1.

The frames 3 and 4 are respectively provided with stops 11 and 12, theflanged ends 11a and 12a of which bear on the lower part of the tray 2,when the cart is un folded, so as to limit the width of the anglebetween the frames 3 and 4 and the tray 2.

The tea cart is set up by forcing the rod 9 into the two hooks 10, whereit is held by the resilience of the various elements of the cart, andparticularly that of the lower tray 2.

The tea cart also comprises two large wheels 13 mounted on the axle 6 aswell as two smaller castor type wheels 14, carried at the lower ends ofthe arms forming the frame member 3.

When the table is in its unfolded position, as shown on FIGS. 1 and 2,it is folded by pressing the handle 3a in the direction F1 while pullingthe upper tray 1 in the direction of the arrow F2.

This overcomes the resilient forces holding the hooks 10 on the rod 9,thus disconnecting the upper tray from the frame member 3.

The upper tray is then swung about the pivotal joint 5, after which theframe 4 is swung about the pivotal joint 6 until the cart is folded intothe position shown on FIG. 3.

It will be seen that the tea cart according to the invention may befolded up in a very simple way and that when folded it takes up verylittle space.

In order to set up the tea cart, when it is to be used, the sameprocedure is followed, in the opposite direction.

FIGS. 1-3 also show a bottle holding frame 15 pivotally connected at 16and 17 to the frame member 4.

This bottle holder carries a stop 18 such that it is held by its ownweight in the position shown on FIGS. 1 and 2 when the tea cart is setup.

The portion 19 of the bottle holder 15 comes into contact with the upperpart of the tray 2 when the frame member 4 is swung down when the teacart is being folded up, and this swings the bottle holder 15 into theplane of the frame member 4 between the trays 1 and 2 when the latterare brought together in the folded position as shown in FIG. 3.

It will be noted that the inclination of the frame member 4 with respectto the trays has the advantage of permitting the two trays to besuperposed when folded almost regardless of any difference between thelength and height of the tea cart.

FIGURE 4 shows a second embodiment of the invention, which alsocomprises an upper tray 1, lower tray 2 and frame members 3 and 4.

This embodiment differs from the first in that the frame member 4, whichis also provided at its lower ends with castor wheels, is pivotallyconnected at 6 to the end of the lower tray 2, while it is connected tothe upper tray 1 by a pivotal joint which is nearer the center of thattray.

Moreover, it will be noted that the frame member 3 has near its lowerend a portion 30 turned at right angles, the frame member 3 beingpivoted at 7 to the left end of the lower tray 2 while brackets 10afixed to the frame member 3 support the left end of the upper tray 1.

The table shown on FIG. 4 has means like those already described forlimiting the angle between the lower tray 2 and the frame members 3 and4 so that the stability of the table is assured by the fact that theupper tray 1 presses resiliently against the brackets 10a of the framemember 3. The table is folded in the same way as the one previouslydescribed.

It will be noted that in this embodiment it is also possible tosuperpose the upper tray directly upon the lower tray, with the framemember 3 resting on top of the two superposed trays. It follows that theframe member 3 may be narrower than the larger of the two trays.

The table shown on FIGS. 510 comprises an upper tray comprising an upperframe member 21 with a panel 22 inside it. The frame member 21 has twolong sides 23 and two short sides 24 made of light angle-irons assembledin the form of a rectangle with mitred and welded corners.

The lower tray is made in the same way from a frame member 25 having apanel 26 inside it. The frame member 25 has two long sides 27 and twoshort sides 28, also made of light angle irons; but in this case, forthe sake of simplicity, the four corner cuts are made at right angles,the horizontal flanges being lapped over each other at the corners andspot welded to each other. The vertical flanges of these angle irons arealso spot-welded to angle members 29 and 30 which serve as pivot pointsand limit stops limiting the angular movement of the vertical members.

The two frame members 21 and 25 are connected by uprights 31 and 32.These uprights are pivoted near their lower ends on the angle members 29and 30, which are best seen on FIG. 8.

These angle members are formed with two tabs 33 and 34 which serve asstops for the vertical members, and are provided with two holes 35 and36. The holes 35 receive the pivot pins for the uprights 31 and theholes 36 the pivot pins for the uprights 32.

This makes it possible to use only one type of tab, in right andleft-hand versions, while ensuring the proper spacing between theuprights 31 and 32 in the folded position, as shown on FIG. 9, so as topermit the uprights to be positioned one on top of the other. Moreover,the presence of the two stops 33 and 34, between which the uprights 31and 32 are gripped when at their maximum angular separation, avoids theimposition on the bolts or rivets 37, 38 in the holes 35, 36 of anyshearing or flexing stress which would tend to deform them. Thisarrangement also makes it easy to ensure, when using ordinary methods ofmanufacture, the necessary precision in the positioning of the uprights,especially within the necessary angular limits, by using a simplewelding step to position the angle members 29 and 30 when the framework25 is being constructed.

The uprights 31 and 32 are also pivotally connected to the upper tray21, by tabs in the form of brackets 39, 40. Each of the tabs 39 isprovided with a hole 41 through which the head 42 of a pivot pin 43projects. This pin is mounted near the upper end of the upright 31. Eachtab 40 is provided with a smaller hole which receives a bolt 44 passingthrough the upper part of the upright 32.

This table is folded and unfolded in much the same way as thosepreviously described, that is to say, when starting from the foldedposition shown on FIG. 9, the two uprights are first raised from thelower tray, and the upper tray is then swung about the bolts 44, whilewidening the angle between each of the uprights 31 and the lower tray.The pins 43 then approach the holes 41 but, as before, it is necessaryto force the sides of the quadrilateral formed by the members 31, 27, 32and 23 apart in order to permit these pins to engage in said holes.However, in the present embodiment the two uprights are snapped insuccessively, because they are independent of each other. Once thisfastening has been completed, the table becomes rigid and will notcollapse.

In order to fold up the table the uprights are first unsnapped beforefolding up the whole table.

In order to reduce the bulk of the table when in its folded position,the upper tray is preferably slightly smaller than the lower tray sothat it can be nested within it, when the latter is provided with anupturned peripheral edge.

In order to permit this nesting it is necessary that certain geometricconditions relative to the height and size of the table parts besatisfied, and as a consequence it is usually necessary for the uprightsto stand in an inclined position.

The uprights 31 are preferably inclined in opposite directions tomaintain the symmetry of the table, to permit the use of identical parts29 and 30 and improve the stability of the table as a consequence of theopposed forces which result from the oblique position of these uprights.

Moreover the inclination of these uprights is so chosen that thetrapezoids thus formed have their longer base at the level of the lowertray so that the feet of the table will span a maximum base on theground.

This table may, as in the case of the embodiments previously described,be provided with fixed or castor type wheels at the lower ends of theuprights 31 and 32. It may also serve simply as a table or tea tray, forcamping, for example, and in that case it may usefully be provided witha folding handle.

This handle, as shown in the drawings, consists of a simple strip ofsteel wire of large diameter, bent twice, and carrying at its center asleeve 46 of metal or plastic, to be gripped by the hand. This sleeve 46may be circular in section and surround the steel wire, but it shouldpreferably be elliptical with its major axis horizontal when in use (asshown in broken lines on FIG. 4), so as to provide greater stabilitywhen the table is being carried and pemit the sleeve to be verticallypositioned against the frame 21 when in its folded position.

In order that the handle may be completely folded, those of the tabs 39and 40 toward which the handle folds are spaced by a certain distancefrom the frame, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, so as to permit the passageof the handle 45. On the other side, this spacing may be duplicated, oravoided by positioning the vertical tabs of the brackets 39 and 40 inalignment withthe vertical flanges of the angle irons 23.

The pivotal connection between the ends of the member 45 forming thehandle and the middle portions of the sides 24 of the frames 21 may takethe form shown in FIG. 10, in which a member 47 is mounted on one sideof the handle, which member may also be of steel wire and welded to thehandle. Each of these members 47 defines with the handle 45 an opening43 having two straight sides positioned at a predetermined angle to eachother. The ends of this opening may be of any more or less roundedshape.

A trapezoidal member 49 is fixed to each of the sides 24 of the frame 21and has a thickness at least equal to the diameter of the wire 45. Eachmember 47 may be welded directly to the side to which it is attached andis pierced by a hole 50.

The angle between the two sides of the trapezoid which are not parallelto each other is equal to the angle between the two sides of the opening48 so that when the handle is positioned perpendicularly with respect tothe tray 1, and the table is lifted, the member 49 is gripped in theopening as shown in broken lines on FIG. 10, so that any turning of thetable about the handle is resisted. On the contrary, when the handle isbeing folded, it may swing freely into the plane of the frame 21.

To complete the table, a metal washer 51 is mounted on each of themembers 49 by means of a rivet passing through the hole 50, this washerhaving a diameter greater than the maximum diameter of the opening 48,so as to prevent the handle from becoming unhooked.

Finally, the table may be provided with small horizontal stops 52mounted on opposite sides of the frame 25 (see FIG. 5) so as to hold theuprights 31 in the plane of the lower tray 25, when the table is in itsfolded position, as shown in FIG. 9.

The table constructed in this manner is very rigid, be cause all pivotalconnections are locked, and is very light despite the presence of theframes 21 and 25. These frames make it possible to make the panelsthemselves of very light material and at the same time are lighter thanthe pivoting frames used in prior constructions, which are here replacedby simple pairs of parallel and independent tubular uprights.

Finally, it will also be seen that the table, especially in its lastembodiment, is of very inexpensive construction, but nevertheless steadyand attractive in appearance.

It will of course be appreciated that these embodiments have beendescribed purely by way of example and may be modified as to detailwithout thereby departing from the basic principles of the invention asdefined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A folding table comprising upper and lower trays which are horizontalwhen said table is set up, at least two supporting members connectingsaid trays to each other, said supporting means being pivotally andindependently connected to each tray for swing movement about parallelaxes and horizontally spaced apart from each other in a directionperpendicular to said axes when said table is set up, separableconnecting means connecting one of said trays to one of said supportingmembers, said connecting means comprising at least two parts which areseparable by movement of one of said parts in a single predetermineddirection relative to the other part, means for exerting against saidone supporting member a pressure which biasses a part of said separableconnecting means in a direction at least 90 degrees away from thedirection in which the parts thereof can be separated, said pressureexerting means comprising stop means positioned to engage at least oneof said supporting members and the other tray when said table is set up.

2. A folding table as claimed in claim 1 in which one of said supportingmembers is permanently connected to both trays and is connected to theupper tray at a point spaced from one end of said upper tray by adistance equal to the difference between the length of said upper trayand the length of that portion of said permanently connected supportingmember between said trays.

3. A folding table as claimed in claim 1 in which at least one of saidsupporting members comprises a pair of uprights, said table alsocomprising a transverse frame member pivotally mounted between saiduprights to turn about a horizontal axis, said transverse member beingweight biassed to swing in one direction relative to said uprights, andstop means limiting the movement of said transverse frame member in saidone direction so as to support it in a horizontal position.

4. A folding table as claimed in claim 1 in which said supporting meanscomprises four uprights, each independently pivoted to each of saidtrays.

5. A folding table as claimed in claim 4 in which said uprights extendbelow the lower tray to serve as feet for the table and those uprightsat each end are inclined toward those at the other end so as to definewith the trays a trapezoid having the shortest of its two parallel sidesuppermost.

6. A folding table as claimed in claim 5 in which each tray comprises aperipheral metal frame and the uprights at one end of said table arepivotally connected to the lower tray at a point higher than the pointat which the other uprights are connected to that tray.

7. A folding table as claimed in claim 4 comprising a carrying handlepivotally mounted on the upper tray, and spacers through which theuprights on one side of said table are pivotally connected to said tray,so that said handle may be received between said upper tray and uprightswhen said handle is folded down.

8. A folding table as claimed in claim 7 in which said carrying handleis provided at each end with a polygonal opening and said upper traycarries polygonal protuberances projecting into said openings, saidopenings being sufficiently larger than said protuberances to permitsaid handle to swing about them, when, but only when, the sides of saidopenings are moved away from those of said protuberances.

9. A table as claimed in claim 4 in which the upper tray is smaller thanthe lower and in which the length of each of said supporting meansbetween said trays plus the distance between the point at which thatsupporting means is attached to said upper tray and the end of saidupper tray nearest said point is less than the distance between thepoint at which the same supporting means is attached to the lower trayand the end of the lower tray remote from that point so that said uppertray may nest within said lower tray.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,640,749 6/1953Shanahan 1081 11 3,099,356 7/1963 Burnett 1081 11 3,182,615 5/1965 Mees108131 3,215,096 11/1965 Holtz 108-111 MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Examiner.

M. S. SALES, Assistant Examiner.

1. A FOLDING TABLE COMPRISING UPPER AND LOWER TRAYS WHICH ARE HORIZONTALWHEN SAID TABLE IS SET UP, AT LEAST TWO SUPPORTING MEMBERS CONNECTINGSAID TRAYS TO EACH OTHER, SAID SUPPORTING MEANS BEING PIVOTALLY ANDINDEPENDENTLY CONNECTED TO EACH TRAY FOR SWING MOVEMENT ABOUT PARALLELAXES AND HORIZONTALLY SPACED APART FROM EACH OTHER IN A DIRECTIONPERPENDICULAR TO SAID AXES WHEN SAID TABLE IS SET UP, SEPARABLECONNECTING MEANS CONNECTING ONE OF SAID TRAYS TO ONE OF SAID SUPPORTINGMEMBERS, SAID CONNECTING MEANS COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO PARTS WHICH ARESEPARABLE BY MOVEMENT OF ONE OF SAID PARTS IN A SINGLE PREDETERMINEDDIRECTION RELATIVE TO THE OTHER PART, MEANS FOR EXERTING AGAINST SAIDONE SUPPORTING MEMBER A PRESSURE WHICH BIASSES A PART OF SAID SEPARABLECONNECTING MEANS IN A DIRECETION AT LEAST 90 DEGREES AWAY FROM THEDIRECTION IN WHICH THE PARTS THEREOF CAN BE SEPARATED, SAID PRESSUREEXERTING MEANS COMPRISING STOP MEANS POSITIONED TO ENGAGE AT LEAST ONEOF SAID SUPPORTING MEMBERS AND THE OTHER TRAY WHEN SAID TABLE IS SET UP.